Apple Maps now used more frequently than Google Maps on iOS

According to the report, Apple Maps is now used three times as often as its next leading competitor (Google Maps) on iPhone and iPad, with more than 5 billion map related requests ever week. Image Credit: SignPost

It’s no secret that when Apple Maps launched back in 2012 it had more than its fair share of issues. The issues included things like incorrect turn-by-turn directions, mislabeled landmarks, and much more. Three years later, however, Apple has been working to remedy the issues its had and according to a new report out of The Boston Globe, the improvements aren’t going unnoticed by users.

According to the report, Apple Maps is now used three times as often as its “next leading competitor” on iPhone and iPad, with more than 5 billion map-related requests ever week. The mysterious “next leading competitor” is obviously Google Maps, which for a significant amount of time following the launch of Apple Maps was the go-to service for iPhone and iPad users.

In the entire market, Google Maps still holds a lead. Google’s offering reportedly had twice as many users in October of this year as Apple Maps. This is due in large part to the fact that Google Maps is supported on both iOS and Android, while Apple Maps is obviously limited purely to the former of the two.

One the biggest reason for the growth in use of Apple Maps is the integration of the service into third-party apps. Going into Yelp for instance allows you to instantly find directions via Apple Maps, while the Starbucks app shows all surrounding stores and allows navigation via Apple Maps.

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Of course, Google provided the mapping data for iPhones until 2012. It was then that Apple decided to ditch the company in favor of its own, custom-built solution. It was a risky move that hurt the company’s reputation at the beginning, but it has since done a lot to regain customer trust. “We are fast learners and we are fast at fixing things,” said Apple marketing VP Greg Joswiak. “We learned the maps business incredibly fast.”

The growing trust of Apple Maps among iPhone users is important for the Cupertino company. It likely means that customers will turn to Apple’s first-party apps in other instances, as well, instead of going in search of third-party solutions, as was the case when Apple Maps launched in 2012.